A Palace Near the Wind is the first novella in the science-fantasy series Natural Engines, written by the promising Ai Jiang, and published by Titan Books. An imaginative story that is equally strange and fascinating, featuring themes such as family, cultural identity and the price of progress, all enveloped with a great worldbuilding and a memorable main character voice.

Lufeng is the eldest daughter of the Feng royalty; tradition marks that she will leave Feng, enter the Palace and marry the human King, as it was done by her sisters and mother before her, in exchange for stopping the expansion of the Palace and the destruction of their homeland for a few years. But Lufeng plans to stop the destruction altogether, and spare her younger sister, Chuiliu, from the destiny of becoming a sacrificial bride; Lufeng plans to kill the King.

Jiang's decision to narrate the story through Lufeng's eyes gives her an amazing opportunity to introduce us to the natural beauty of the Feng, and how it contrasts with the progress and industrialization that is symbolized by the Palace; the whole existence of the Wind Walkers (Feng's race) is to preserve nature, in opposite to how the Palace takes the resources from it and use it on their own benefit (something that is even reflected on the names of the different travellers).
Lufeng is a character bound by tradition, who has a strong determination to protect those she has a bond with them; family is at the center of her values. The shock of going outside of the Feng for a first time also serves as a narrative vehicle to introduce us to the particularities of the Palace in comparison with the Feng. 

Lufeng's voice is a bit melancholic and also poetic: she wants to preserve her homeland, but also aspires to break the cycle that is slowly breaking down her family; however, she will also discover that not all of her family shares the same devotion to the cause, as other values are captivating her.
We have a rich worldbuilding, partly resorting to Asian inspiration, but which has a bit of an ethereal sensation because of the particular tone of the book. There's so much packed into this novella, and discovering it is part of the experience; a parallel journey to what Lufeng experiences.

A Palace Near the Wind is an excellent genre-blending novella, starting a duology that aims to explore themes such as pain, grief, family duty and cultural preservation against progress. I'm here to see what Ai Jiang delivers with the second book of Natural Engines, because I'm sure it will be an absolute banger.